Today, 24 different items of great cultural and historical value arrived home in the area from which they were once collected.
Through the “Bååstede” project, the Centre for Northern Peoples has now had 24 culturally historical artefacts returned, which were previously collected within their area of operation. This includes Kvænangen, Kåfjord, Storfjord, Lyngen, Balsfjord, Ullsfjord, and the Tromsø and Bardu areas.
The background to the project is that in the 19th and 20th centuries, several thousand objects were collected from all over Sápmi which have until now been stored at the Norwegian Folk Museum. Now, several of these are being returned to the Sámi museums.
Museum director Kjellaug Isaksen says;“This is a historic day! The Bååstede objects have now returned to Sápmi and Nord-Troms. We have been working towards this for ten years, so we have really looked forward to this.
A key starting point for the Bååstede project is the right to manage and convey one's own cultural heritage on one's own terms. At the Centre for Northern Peoples, the artefacts will be displayed in a permanent exhibition.
“The items that are now returning home will be displayed for everyone. They will help to tell the Sámi story from our region. The exhibition will open in the first half of 2023.” says project manager Henrik Olsen.
The returned objects reflect the culture, worldview, and living conditions of the sea Sámi population. Among the objects are, for instance, a tobacco pouch, a knife with a sheath, a tinderbox, branches, a hunting belt with equipment, and an otter trap. A very unique object is a divination belt dating from approximately 1750 from Helligskogen in Storfjord.
The daily manager at the Centre for Northern Peoples, Svein Leiros, is grateful for the return of Sami cultural heritage. He says:; ”We must thank the Sami Parliament, the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, the Historical Museum and the Sami museums for their excellent cooperation. They have all worked together to make this happen.".